Recording

For his latest musical project, Rick Wakeman chose to work with a travelling state circus. Jonathan Miller discusses the keyboard virtuoso's clowning glory, and delves into the man's 27-year recording career.

If anyone epitomises the home recording DIY ethic, it's Bill Nelson. With over 40 albums to his credit, many of which emanated from his modest home studio, Bill continues to experiment. Nigel Humberstone explores his latest guitar-based creations.

It's clear from our readers' survey that while you like to read about those on the professional side of the recording industry, you'd also like to hear more from fellow mortals! In the first of this occasional series, Paul White talks to Rick Cordes, an SOS reader who's built himself a very tidy basement studio...

Mark Thomas finds himself very much in demand writing and recording music for film, television and library albums. Much of the music involves orchestral instruments, and even 70-piece orchestras, but as Mark explained to Paul white, the bulk of the work can still be carried out in a home studio.

The Stone Roses seemed fit for world domination at the end of the '80s, but after releasing a successful debut album, they disappeared for nearly six years. Matt Bell talks to the producer of their new album, Simon Dawson, about his approach to recording the all-important follow-up.

Down in the BBC vaults, we were told, they had stumbled upon a golden tape containing long lost recordings of The Beatles' radio performances. Richard Buskin spoke to the BBC Radio producer Kevin Howlett and Abbey Road Studios engineer Peter Mew to discover the truth behind the hype.

Jon Anderson discusses the recording of the Yes singer's forthcoming solo album, an intriguing mix of old and new material presented in a classical style, plus his latest venture with Yes.

Daniel Lanois has followed up a career producing acclaimed recordings for the likes of U2 and Peter Gabriel with two solo albums which have earned him equal respect as an artist in his own right. Paul Tingen talked to him about the changing directions in his own music.

With a track record that includes hit albums for the Smiths and current chart success with both Blur and the Cranberries, producer Stephen Street is making himself quite a name for his honest and straightforward production approach.

Take some Cajun banjo, an Italian opera singer, and a dash of Robert Fripp. Mix these diverse elements liberally with electronic dance music, and serve as the third album from the Grid, Evolver. Nigel Humberstone talks to the hi-tech duo on the making of this album, and their forthcoming classical project.

The first album from this chart-topping pianist and chanteuse was a million-seller; her second looks set to continue the trend. Ian Gilby was invited into the Craven home studio to discuss the enduring appeal of MOR.

Headlining the biggest electronic music festival in Europe was a US composer almost unknown in the UK. A contemporary of synth pioneer Don Buchla, Suzanne Ciani enjoys enourmous success in America, yet such recognition has eluded her so far this side of the Atlantic.

Chris Rea and engineer Stuart Epps talk to Mark Cunningham about the making of Espresso Logic, life at The Mill studios and their approach to recording Rea's work.

John Dyson is one of the UK's most popular electronic music composers, yet he works with recording equipment that is more state of the ark than state of the art, and his northern pragmatism won't let him give up his day job. Paul White met him at his home studio.

Young Irish engineer Robbie Adams played an important part in the recording of U2's popular and critically-acclaimed albums Achtung Baby and Zooropa. Here he gives Paul Tingen a fascinating insight into the exciting and unorthodox recording methods they used.

Toyah's first pop album for several years, Leap, was recorded not in an expensive commercial studio, but in the type of home recording environment with which many SOS readers will be intimately familiar, as Paul White discovers.

You don't know his name but you'll have heard his refrains. Composer Paul Bliss writes hits for the best of 'em using a UMI-2B sequencer package and several synthesizers. Ralph Denyer finds out how.

In between tours with Ultravox and appearances on Live Aid, Midge Ure somehow found the time to discuss the writing and recording of his first ever solo LP 'The Gift' and his No.1 single with SOS Editor Ian Gilby.